In the photographic processing of photosensitive materials for color photography, the recent demand for quick print delivery and reduced commercial laboratory work load has made it necessary to reduce the photographic processing time. While the commonest approach to a shortening of processing time is to increase the processing temperature and/or the replenishment rate, many other procedures such as intensified agitation and addition of accelerators have been proposed.
Particularly, for rapid color development and/or reducing the replenishment rate, the use of a color photosensitive material employing a silver chloride emulsion instead of conventional silver bromide and silver iodide emulsions has been proposed. For example, PCT WO-04534/1987 discloses a rapid processing technique in which a chloride-rich silver halide color photosensitive material is treated with a color developer which is substantially free from sulfite ions and benzyl alcohol.
However, the above-mentioned method is disadvantageous, since when it is used in an automatic developing apparatus for paper, fog streaks readily appear. These are presumably in-liquid pressure sensitization due to pressure applied to the silver halide emulsion by contact of a photosensitive material with a roller or the like in the developing tank of the automatic developing apparatus.
Furthermore, in continuous processing, this method allows remarkable variations in photographic characteristics (in particular minimum density) and marked staining of the white background.
The rapid processing of a high-silver-chloride photosensitive material for color photography presents problems such as in-liquid pressure sensitization fogging and variation of photographic characteristics, and is unsuitable for practical use.
JP-A-58-95345 and 59-232342 (the term "JP-A" herein used means an unexamined published Japanese patent application) describe the use of organic antifogging agents for the purpose of minimizing the variations in photographic characteristics (in particular, fogging) in rapid processing using a high-silver-chloride photosensitive material for color photography. However, their antifogging effect is unsatisfactory and, in general, they fail to prevent the above-mentioned sensitization streaks due to pressure in the liquid phase or an increase in minimum density during continuous processing. Furthermore, their effect decreases with the progress of continuous processing.
JP-A-61-70552 describes a method for reducing the rate of developer replenishment by using a high-chloride silver halide photosensitive material for color photography and adding the replenisher to the developing bath during development at a rate such that no overflowing may occur. JP-A-63-106655 discloses a method of processing a silver halide photosensitive material for color photography whose silver halide emulsion layer has a high silver chloride content, with a color developer containing a hydroxylamine compound and a chloride at a minimum concentration for the purpose of process stabilization.
JP-A-63-106655 describes a method of processing a photosensitive material having a silver chloride proportion of 70 mole percent or more with a developer containing a chloride in a concentration of at least 2.times.10.sup.-2 moles.
However, these methods also are unsuited for practical use, since they pressure sensitization streaks are formed upon processing in an automatic developing apparatus or the photographic characteristics vary during continuous processing.